Google Legally Hounds 'Puppy Fraud' Perpetrator From Cameroon

Google recently sued a man from Cameroon for allegedly scamming people of their money and committing fraud.

According to Google's announcement, the man operated fraudulent websites that claimed to sell puppies that were actually nonexistent.

Google did not disclose the current status of the man in question.

Google's Lawsuit Against Puppy Fraudster

Google's announcement and legal documents said that Nche Noel Ntse, a Cameroonian, was allegedly running a "puppy fraud scheme" where he sold fake basset hound puppies to people online on his various fraudulent websites.

These websites contain photos, Google products, and fake customer testimonials meant to lure victims into believing the puppies are real and that they're interacting with actual dog breeders.

However, the puppies don't exist, and instead of selling the puppies to sellers, Noel runs with customers' money, which is the basis of his alleged multiple international non-delivery scams. Google legal documents added that Noel wants to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting high demand for puppies in the U.S.

Google noted that Noel's scam disproportionally targeted older Americans, who can be more vulnerable to cyberattacks due to their fear of bothering family members about their problems, sounding like they don't understand technology, or losing their independence, per CNBC.

Some older Americans are also afraid of reporting being a scam or fraud victim because of the perceived difficulty of reporting the incident to authorities.

Noel's scheme was found to be following a similar script many scammers use: they would pretend to be someone they are not to convince victims to give them money for something they will never receive. Noel's scheme is also part of the 35% of all online shopping scams reported to The Better Business Bureau.

This 35% is made up of pet scams or frauds similar to Noel's scheme. The large percentage is due to the spike in demand due to people wanting a companion in their homes due to them being forced to stay in their homes to avoid COVID-19 during the pandemic's initial onset.

American Pet Products Association found that pet ownership in 2020 rose to 70% in U.S. households, per Pet Food Industry.

Google mentioned that it built its security into all of its products and uses machine learning to filter new threats.

The company also utilizes its CyberCrime Investigation Group to look into misconduct and send referrals to appropriate law enforcement agencies to combat such scammers.

How To Avoid Pet Scams or Fraud

Google also gave tips to help people avoid pet scams or fraud. First, you should see the pet you're interested in getting in person or on video call before paying any money to confirm the pet is real.

You should also avoid wiring money or paying with gift cards or prepaid debit cards for the pet in question. Additionally, you should also research the pet's price to see how much the market asks for them to avoid paying too much or too little.

A reverse Google image search should also be done to know if the same pet or product is a stock image or if the photo is stolen.

Lastly, do a background check on the seller to confirm their identity. Ask the seller for the company name, number, and street address and search the info on Google.

If the company doesn't appear on where they said they should be, the name and address are probably fake,